Dorian and Kael walked along a lonely forest path, the soft crunch of fallen leaves beneath their boots the only sound breaking the evening quiet. It had been a week since the incident with the bandits and the deal Dorian made with kael.kael had begun to talk more, slowly opening up, but something inside him remained locked away, something not even Dorian knew how to uncover.
The forest around them was breathtaking in its stillness. Towering ancient trees stretched upward like gentle giants, their trunks thick and covered in moss. Their branches swayed softly in the cool breeze. The late-evening sunlight streamed through breaks in the canopy, spilling across the ground in golden patches that shifted with every rustle of the leaves. It created a scene so peaceful and so tranquil that it seemed otherworldly.
After the attack, Dorian and kael had agreed to avoid open roads entirely. The wilderness might have its beasts, but it didn't have greedy men with blades.
"So you're saying you plan to get to the Isles of Salvia… where exactly is that?" Kael asked, glancing sideways at Dorian as they maneuvered around an uprooted log.
Dorian exhaled thoughtfully. "From Tides Reach, I'll take a ship south to the Salvian Isles. They're part of the island chains around Uldoria—the continent the kingdom of Salvandor is from."
This world was vast—in it were wonders that both kael and Dorian couldn't fathom. Thirty super-continents spread across the world like titanic puzzle pieces, surrounded by countless islands and archipelagos. The Central Continents, lying along the equator, housed the four largest empires. Their armies stretched from sea to sea, their magical academies towering into the skies like monuments to power.
Uldoria, in contrast, lay closer to the northern pole. To reach the Central Continents, one would need to travel south—crossing five entire continents on the way. A journey few dared attempt.
"And why the Salvian Isles?" Kael pressed. "As you've said there are countless islands you'll pass before even getting halfway."
"Because their cities are huge, and they have the best cartographers on this side of the world," Dorian replied. "If I want accurate maps of the southern continents, that's where I'll find them."
He jumped lightly over a massive fallen tree, landing with ease.
"And the journey?" Kael asked. "Won't traveling across the world be expensive? How are you planning to pay for all of this?"
"Well…" Dorian scratched the back of his head, cheeks warming In embarrassment,
"I don't really kno—"
He hadn't finished the rest of the sentence when suddenly he felt something.
A sudden shift in the air—subtle, but sharp—set off alarms deep inside him. His instincts roared. His head snapped toward a certain direction of the forest.
Without thinking, he lunged forward, grabbed Kael by the collar, and pulled him down towards the ground.
Whoooosh!
A blade of compressed air roared past them, slicing through the space where they had stood a heartbeat before. It didn't simply cut—it carved. Behind them, a dozen trees split in half cleanly, their trunks groaning as they toppled over like falling giants.
Kael froze in terror.
"What… what was that?!"
"Something strong," Dorian muttered, eyes narrowing. "Very strong."
The forest exploded into chaos.
From the direction the wind slash had come, a massive creature burst out—
a leopard-like beast. Black scales covered most of its body, each plate glistening like polished obsidian. A blazing stripe of bright orange fur ran from its head down to its tail, radiating heat like molten metal. The creature was easily the size of a large horse, each step shaking the ground beneath its paws.
Clenched in its bloody maw was a glowing cyan crystal, the size of a grown man's fist.
Dorian instantly recognized it as his eyes shone,it was a mana crystal maybe a third level no a fourth level crystal based off of its glow .
The beast wasn't charging towards them—no it was running.
Fleeing.
And right behind it—
A black-feathered sparrow, no larger than a dog, yet radiating terrifying power. Every flap of its wings sent ripples of force through the air. The forest trembled. Winds gathered around the bird like a cloak, the pressure thick enough to make Dorian's ears ring.
Gashes along the leopard's scaled hide showed just how relentless the sparrow's assault had been.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
With each wingbeat, ribbons of wind shot toward the leopard—thin, curved, deadly.
"Both of them are Fledglings," Dorian whispered, eyes scanning the scene.
The magical beasts realm was divided into five stages of power that is Fledgling,Lurker,Apex,Primeval and mythic
These were the ranks of magical beasts. A Fledgling was roughly equal to a high Level Two lesser wizard. Dangerous to the current Dorian as he was only a high level one.
What troubled Dorian wasn't their rank—it was that he couldn't determine the sparrow's exact level. That meant one thing: the sparrow was much stronger than him.
In the realm of wizards and magical beasts a stronger being could tell the exact level of a weaker being but not the other way around ,
Just like two people in a tower—
the one at the top could see the one below clearly, while the one below could only sense something larger looming above them.
Another wind blade struck the leopard's hind leg, slicing through a ligament. The beast stumbled, roaring in pain as it crashed through the undergrowth.
Dorian pulled Kael behind a massive rock.
"Don't move," he whispered. "Don't breathe loudly."
The leopard staggered to its feet, eyes wild and furious. Realizing escape was pointless, it turned to face the sparrow. Flames erupted along its orange fur, dancing and crackling like embers caught in a storm. The heat distorted the air around it, revealing the magnitude of the mana burning within.
The sparrow hovered a few meters above, black feathers trembling with concentrated force. Its eyes were cold, focused solely on the crystal.
A stand-off.
The forest held its breath.
The leaves stopped rustling.
The breeze stilled.
Even the insects went silent.
Dorian felt his heart pounding in his chest. The tension was suffocating.
Then—
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The sparrow unleashed a volley of wind blades. The leopard dodged left, then right, but with its injured leg it couldn't fully escape. Several blades grazed its flank, cutting through fur and scale alike. It roared, flames surging brighter.
It lunged forward, swiping its fiery claws through the air. Each swipe produced arcs of blazing flame that tore toward the sparrow. The bird countered instantly—its wings flapping once, erecting a swirling wall of wind.
Flame collided with gale.
The air hissed and crackled.
Heat and wind exploded outward, rattling the trees and showering sparks across the forest floor.
The leopard growled, limping in circles, trying to position itself for another strike. Blood dripped steadily from its wounds, forming dark red trails on the leaves.
Its breath grew ragged.
Its movements slowed.
The leopard stumbled on its front paws, barely catching itself.
The sparrow sensed weakness.
With one powerful flap, it rose higher. Wind gathered above its wings, swirling into a sharp, condensed arc of pressurized air—far stronger than the previous blades.
This was its finishing blow.
The leopard lifted its head weakly, flames sputtering like dying candles.
The sparrow's wings snapped forward—
WHOOSH!
A blinding, razor-thin crescent of air shot downward.
In a single instant—
The leopard's head flew from its body.
Its massive corpse collapsed with a heavy thud, flames extinguishing instantly.
The sparrow dove toward the fallen beast, ready to claim the mana crystal.
It reached out with its talons—
When suddenly—
From deep within the forest, a projectile formed from pure, colorless energy erupted out of the shadows.
It moved so fast the air didn't have time to resist it—
And struck the sparrow squarely in its right wing.
A deafening shockwave burst outward as feathers scattered into the air like pieces of black paper.